(CNN) – Days before Chuck Hagel sits down for Senate hearings on his nomination to be secretary of defense, the former senator received vocal support from two retired generals on Sunday.

Retired U.S. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal and former CIA director and retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden both said on CNN's "State of the Union" that they expect Hagel to work well as the Defense Department chief.FULL POST

Retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal has signed on with Washington-based Leading Authorities to find him paid speaking appearances, the lecture agency announced Tuesday.

(CNN) – Retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal has signed on with Washington-based Leading Authorities to find him paid speaking appearances, the lecture agency announced Tuesday.

McChrystal, who will also be lecturing at Yale this fall, will earn between $30,000 to $60,000 an event, according to one person knowledgable with the deal.

The retired general has already booked "multiple engagements," the source said, and there has been a "significant amount of interest across industries" to hear him speak. His first paid speech will be this fall at a private engagement.

Retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal will be teaching at Yale University this fall, according to a university spokeswoman.

(CNN) – Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who resigned from the military this year after controversial comments published in a magazine profile, will be teaching at Yale University this fall, according to a university spokeswoman.

McChrystal has been appointed a senior fellow with the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs beginning in the fall semester, said a statement from the spokeswoman, Dorie Baker.

McChrystal, who commanded the U.S.-led military coalition in Afghanistan, will teach a graduate level seminar for students in the international relations master's program, the statement said.

The Army is investigating the circumstances that led to the Rolling Stone magazine article that effectively ended the career of Gen. Stanley McChrystal.

(CNN) - The Army is investigating the circumstances that led to the Rolling Stone magazine article that effectively ended the career of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the United States' former top commander in Afghanistan, an Army spokesman told CNN Wednesday.

"A four-star commander was relieved ultimately due to this article. We want to understand what happened here," Col. Tom Collins said.

McChrystal retired in June, shortly after the publication of the article that included examples of his staff mocking senior White House officials, including Vice President Joe Biden.

Washington (CNN) - The Rolling Stone magazine journalist whose article about Gen. Stanley McChrystal helped end the Afghanistan commander's career has been denied permission to embed with a military unit in Afghanistan, a Pentagon spokesman told CNN Wednesday.

"Embeds are a privilege, not a right. The unit decided they didn't feel the trust necessary for an embed. They declined," Pentagon spokesman Col. David Lapan said, not specifying which unit was involved.

Michael Hastings, the reporter, said via Twitter that his embed had earlier been approved, then was "disapproved."
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McChrystal's illustrious career came to an abrupt end when he resigned as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan after he and his staff were quoted in a Rolling Stone magazine article criticizing and mocking key administration officials.

The West Point graduate and a former Green Beret was a senior official for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen.

Richard Holbrooke saied Wednesday that Barack Obama's dismissal of the top commander in Afghanistan was 'extremely unfortunate' but 'necessary.'

Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama's dismissal of the top commander in Afghanistan was "extremely unfortunate" but "necessary," according to Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Holbrooke told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday that Gen. Stanley McChrystal is a "very distinguished and fine officer."

He noted some of the barbs in the Rolling Stone magazine article that led to McChrystal's downfall were aimed at him, but Holbrooke said the story "made no difference to me" personally and didn't change his positive opinion of McChrystal.

President Barack Obama has agreed to waive a Pentagon rule and let outgoing Gen. Stanley McChrystal retire at his full four-star rank.

Washington (CNN) – President Barack Obama has agreed to waive a Pentagon rule and let outgoing Gen. Stanley McChrystal retire at his full four-star rank, a White House spokesman said Tuesday.

While the general is short of the time needed to retire at his current pay grade, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama would ensure he keeps his rank as he steps down.

"The president believes and has talked with Secretary Gates about this, and we will do whatever is necessary to ensure he, somebody who has served the country as he has, can retire at a four-star level," Gibbs told reporters.

McChrystal resigned as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan last week after he and his staff were quoted in a Rolling Stone magazine article criticizing and mocking key administration officials, and he announced Monday that he would retire from the Army.

Washington (CNN) – The planned withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in 2011, along with with concerns over the progress of the counterinsurgency plan in a country described as a place "where empires go to die," will be front and center at Gen. David Petraeus' confirmation hearings Tuesday.

Petraeus was tapped by President Obama to replace Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who was relieved of his duties last week after the general and his staff were quoted in a Rolling Stone magazine article criticizing and mocking key administration officials.

But it's not just those comments that are making news - it's also conditions on the ground in Afghanistan.Full story

Washington (CNN) – A majority of Americans support President Barack Obama's decision to remove Gen. Stanley McChrystal as the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, according to a new national poll.

A USA Today/Gallup survey released Monday indicates that 53 percent of the public approves of the move, with three in ten saying they disapprove and 17 percent unsure. Of those who say they are following news reports of the story very closely, approval jumps to 64 percent.

The poll was conducted Friday and Saturday. The president relieved McChrystal of his duties on Wednesday, after the general and his staff were quoted in a Rolling Stone magazine article making comments that appeared to mock top administration officials. Obama named Gen. David Petraeus to replace McChrystal.